Caryl

Do as Shae suggested Rusty and keep your fingers crossed. If it is just one fish with problems then it is most likely to be a problem with that fish but if more start exhibiting the same symptoms you will have to look at what is wrong with the tnak conditions. May possibly be a temporary food blockage or swim bladder problem which will correct itself with rest and good food away from the others. What sort of 'treatment' have you given her?

It is not necessary though and many people keep guppies without using salt. If you are unsure about whether the other fish can tolerate it then leave it out.

How long had the tank been set up and how many fish did you have in it? Filtration? pH? temp? ammonia readings? nitrate readings?

Does it form a slimey sheet over things? If so, it is cyanobacteria and not an algae.

Why do you want to add salt?

I would expect a spike as that is a lot of fish to add at once. Keep testing as the next few days will be critical. The water change will have helped. What sort of filtration are you running? That is a lot of bottom dwellers too as all of them grow very large (but slowly). Be prepared to have the landscape uprooted repeatedly as those plecs grow.

Welcome vapo and I suggest you join a club too for more help, information, good times and freebies Kapi-Mana are going great guns at the moment 8)

Mine came in on some infected plants. I tried the black-out and water changes too

You do have to be careful with it but only because it is important not to overdose as I believe it is toxic.

They are banning the import of a lot of animal meds I gather. Can't tell you why exactly. Does anyone know the reasoning behind it?

I tried every other method before I resorted to erythromycin as I hate adding anything to a tank - except fish of course.

I would stick to the instructions on the bottle myself. Just use the Melafix and salt if you are wanting salt in the tank. It isn't necessary though if you are getting rid of the gobies.

It seems to vary from region to region. :roll:

See if your library has a copy of The Complete Aquarium by Peter W Scott. It shows step by step how to set up a number of different biotopes complete with lists of correct fish and plants etc.

Aha! So there really ARE baby bristlenoses. I was starting to wonder if you were imagining them Would your g/f like to come and stay with us? We could do with someone who tidies things.

Make the most of your Melafix as I believe it is about to be banned from sale.

The plants will have been damaged by the cyano. It forms a thick coating over the leaves so the plants can't photosynthesise. Mine did the same thing when I treated my tank except I didn't use Furan, I used Erythromycin. I also didn't renew bacteria or anything and don't believe 'live bacteria' products do a lot but others may disagree. I had no trouble dosing my tank (although I must say it was lightly stocked so there was no great load on the filtration anyway) and made sure I netted and siphoned out the cyano quickly as it died.

Ask for them here in our trade section

People with discus in display tanks use gravel but for breeding only they keep the tank bare for ease of cleaning.

And here is what happened when Misty found it... I hope she doesn't develop dropsy too (I can imagine her fur sticking out). She only wanted a drink and ignored the fish. The fish ignored her too :lol:

Had visitors today and one noticed a danio he said had dropsy. I have tried to get some shots to show the pinecone effect when the scales stick out...

Planaria all right. Harmelss but unsightly if they reach plague proportions. Cut back on the feeding.

If it is a well established community tank I would not worry about feeding them while you are away. I don't feed mine for that length of time if I am going to be away. Better than having a feeding block disintegrate too fast and pollute the tank. The fish won't starve. If I had small fry, I would put the required daily dose of food in separate containers and ask a friend or neighbour to empty them into the tnak on the appropriate days. I also like my larger Malawis to be fed more regularly. Luckily on our last trip my daughter was home for part of the time and then my brother came and lived in - this was for the cat's benefit, not the fishes :lol: As the others said - a timer is the way to go for the lights.

Give them up? Just get another tank!!! :lol:

I was wondering if a gourami or keyhole was meant too but figured it didn't matter in this case. A 3 spot gourami I think has 2 spots on the body and the eye is the 3rd spot. Might be wrong with that thought mind you Are there plenty of hiding places and plant cover? Hopefully she will settle down.